


The Boy from the Other Side

by taztaas (ainonoai)



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Angus is a lost boy, Fairy Tale Elements, Gen, Kravitz is cursed, Taako has celestial powers, Witch Curses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-03 16:59:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12752448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ainonoai/pseuds/taztaas
Summary: There was an unconscious child in Kravitz's forest and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.Inspired by the first volume of the manga: The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún by NAGABE.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I went to Pottermore to research wand woods, and it said this about cedar wood:  
> "My father, Gervaise Ollivander, used always to say, ‘you will never fool the cedar carrier,’ and I agree: the cedar wand finds its perfect home where there is perspicacity and perception."  
> That's perfect for Angus so I went with that.

There was a child in his forest. There was _an actual child_  laying on the grass, and Kravitz couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A child… It looked human. Kravitz looked around but there was nothing else out of the ordinary. The forest was dark, as always, the foliage blocking most of the sunlight, only a few rays filtered through. The thick dark green moss was undisturbed around the child as if he had been dropped right where he lay, though there was no sign of disturbance in the treetops either. The muted gray bark on the trees was undamaged. 

Puzzled, Kravitz approached the child cautiously, silently. It had been a long time since he had seen anyone else, and even longer since he last saw a human. It was a boy, a human boy, Kravitz could confirm, now that he was closer. The boy had glasses, a bit askew on his face and he was unconscious. He was holding a wand, cedar wood it seemed like, but it was broken. Kravitz briefly wondered if he the boy was a wizard’s apprentice. Wizards still existed, didn’t they? To his knowledge at least.

The air around the boy was thick with traces of magic. A spell gone wrong perhaps, Kravitz thought. But it could not have been any normal spell, there were thick magical barriers at work around Kravitz’s forest, a boy that young could not possess the level of magical skill needed to permeate them. But somehow, he was here. In Kravitz’s forest. Alone. Kravitz sat down - mindful of his long black cloak - on a fallen tree trunk, conveniently placed so that he did not need to take a seat on the wet moss. Kravitz sat and waited. And waited. Time had little meaning to him, so he could not measure it passing, but eventually, the boy stirred.

Angus’ head hurt and his mouth was dry. He blinked slowly, disoriented, vision blurry. As his eyes cleared he pushed himself up and saw that he wasn’t alone, wherever he was. There was… _something_ looking at him. Something or… someone. Someone tall, dressed in all black with horns on their head and black feathers all around instead of skin. The creature was humanoid but strangely birdlike, like nothing Angus had ever seen or heard of. It somehow seemed like they had a beak, but somehow not? The creature was wearing clothes, very proper clothes to be exact, there were even cufflinks on their white collared shirt. Angus took that as a sign of intelligence, this was no mere beast, cufflinks were pretty elaborate accessories. Also, they had a waistcoat on. And a pocket watch, Angus remarked with slight surprise.

Two golden, strangely feline, glowing eyes stared at Angus with curiosity, and when the creature caught Angus’ eye, they stood up, brushing off their slacks with clawed hands that resembled the feet of a bird of prey, talons and all. Angus’ heart skipped a beat but he didn’t scream, he was too well brought up for that. And showing respect to potentially dangerous and probably magical creatures was something Angus had learned early on in his studies, despite his mentor’s disregard for general tact and proper arcane etiquette.

“Greetings.” They spoke, but Angus got the impression that the voice was coming from inside of the creature since there didn’t seem to be any kind of observable mouth and the beak didn’t move.

“Hello, sir! My name is Angus McDonald!” He said cheerily but mentally berated himself for his choice of words. The creature sounded male, but he should know better than to assume. Luckily they didn’t seem to mind.

“I am called Kravitz. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Angus. Forgive me for not shaking your hand, I have a certain… _affliction._ ”

Angus tilted his head to the side, quizzically.

“Are you ill, sir?” He asked, trying to look for signs of sickness in Kravitz but since he didn’t really know what to look for, it was a moot point.

“I suppose that is one way to put it. It is a long story.” Kravitz sounded a bit amused, but sorrowful at the same time, somehow. At this point, Angus noticed his destroyed wand and frowned at it before pocketing the pieces. Kravitz cleared his throat.

“Angus, do you have any idea how you ended up here?” Angus perked up, happy to answer.

“Not really sir! I was having a magic lesson with my teacher, something must’ve gone wrong I guess!” Kravitz frowned at the answer, disturbed.

“...You seem awfully unconcerned about all this, Angus.”  
The boy smiled. “Well, I don’t think there is any reason to be worried. My teacher will figure out what happened, and he will find me for sure!”

Kravitz hummed thoughtfully and watched the boy finally scramble up from the mossy ground. He seemed unhurt, but his clothes were thoroughly wet on his backside. The forest wasn’t too warm, Kravitz couldn’t leave the boy outside alone to freeze. “Angus, would you like to come over to my house and wait?” Angus thought about it, before nodding. It felt like a good idea, at least better than staying out in the open in the strange forest. Kravitz seemed trustworthy, and Angus was a very good judge of character.

As Kravitz led the way to his house, adjusting his strides to accommodate the boy’s pace, Angus spoke enthusiastically about his studies and his teacher. He seemed very happy and excited, but Kravitz couldn’t help but to think that Angus’ teacher sounded unnecessarily cruel and callous. Angus seemed very capable for his age, and his teacher seemed to expect the impossible of the boy. Kravitz was starting to feel uncomfortable with the situation. He was starting to think that maybe this hadn’t been an accident, maybe Angus’ teacher had been trying to get rid of the boy by sending him alone into a forest full of monsters. A thought emerged in his mind and he could not get rid of it now that it was there.

_This child has been abandoned._


	2. Chapter 2

They arrived at the house at dusk. Fog was starting to form and it made the building look rather unnerving, even though it was lit from the inside with warm light. There were candles and lanterns on the windowsills.

“Here we are, Angus. My humble abode”, Kravitz said and swept his arm forward in a sort of reveal. Angus took the cue and observed. The house was large, but nothing special architecture-wise, a boring rectangle. It was also rather dull-colored, with grey stone lining and muted red tiles on the roof. There was no yard to speak of, only wild grass, but there seemed to be a sort of garden to the back of it.

Angus couldn’t think of anything nice to say, but luckily Kravitz didn’t seem to expect any comments. They started to walk towards the house.

The inside of the house was warm despite the gloomy exterior. Angus could hear the crackling of a fireplace from a nearby room. He suppressed a shiver, he hadn’t realized how cold he was before he got inside. Kravitz seemed to notice, however, even though he had his back to Angus as he shed his cloak and hung it on a hook near the door. He turned his glowing eyes to Angus.

“Would you like a change of clothes? I might have something that would fit you stored away.”

Angus nodded enthusiastically, his damp and chilly clothes were very uncomfortable. “Follow me then”, Kravitz said and led the way upstairs.

Angus took in what he could of the house, while he followed. The floors seemed to be made of some dark wood, same as the furniture. There were several large paintings on the walls, with rather neutral subjects, such as flower arrangements and fruit bowls. The interior was all in all rather commonplace, without any personal touch. It didn’t really seem like a house where someone lived.

Once upstairs, Kravitz opened a door to reveal a rather large bedroom. The room was unoccupied, judging by the layer of dust on the bedspread and other furniture. He walked to the other side of the room and opened a door to a walk-in closet. Angus stepped in and marveled at the sheer amount of clothing the closet held. The clothes seemed pretty old, but they were of high quality. Angus grinned and turned around to address his host.

“Wow, Mister Kravitz! You sure have some amazing clothes!”

Kravitz’s eyes softened as if he was smiling. He folded his arms behind his back.

“Are you interested in clothing, Angus?”

“Not so much, but my mentor is into dressing up, fancy fabrics and jewelry and all.”

Kravitz nodded. “I’ll give you some space. You can take whatever clothes you like.”

With that he left the room, closing the door behind him. Once in the hall, Kravitz sighed. He was at loss. He had no idea what to do with the boy. Angus seemed convinced that his mentor was coming to get him, but what he had told Kravitz, this mentor seemed like a vain and callous character, not caring at all. Kravitz’s feathers ruffled. He couldn’t send the boy back. He was powerless here, he couldn’t pierce the barrier. That had been proven ages ago and he had ceased to attempt escape. He had more or less accepted his fate, but how could a child be condemned to same?

A bitter thought emerged against his will. At least the boy was still human. Kravitz was shaken out of his thoughts when Angus opened the door and stepped into the hall. The shirt he wore more like a tunic on him. He was holding his damp clothing in his arms.

“We can hang your clothes to dry in the sitting room, there’s a fireplace,” Kravitz said, and Angus nodded.

“That’d be great sir!”

They went back downstairs, Angus trailing after Kravitz’s tall form. In the sitting room, Kravitz arranged some chairs near the fireplace so that Angus could spread his clothes on them. The boy had just finished with his task when his stomach growled. Angus blushed and covered his midsection with his arms. Kravitz stared at him owlishly for a moment, before he shook his head.

“Right, you must be hungry. I apologize, Angus, I’m not a very good host.” He said, sounding guilty.

“Oh no sir, it’s alright I’m very grateful for your help!” Angus assured, but Kravitz didn’t appear to hear him. He was looking at the wall, deep in thought.

“I don’t think there’s any food here in the house. We should go see the garden, there’s probably some fruit that you can eat.” Angus nodded and again followed after Kravitz to the back of the house.

They stepped out into the garden. It seemed like no one had cared for it for a long while, the grass was tall and all kinds of bushes were spreading wildly throughout. There was an apple tree though, and the fruit seemed fine, so Angus picked a few from the lower branches.

They returned inside to sit near the fireplace as Angus chewed at his fruit. He noticed that Kravitz hadn’t gotten anything, and was staring thoughtfully at the fire instead, sitting in an armchair. Angus swallowed his bite of the apple before speaking.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but do you not eat, sir?”

Kravitz shook his head no, but didn’t turn to look at Angus as he answered. “No, since you need a mouth for that.”

“That’s terrible sir!” Angus gasped, “I don’t know if I could live without eating, well, I mean, without tasting I guess!” He smiled brightly at Kravitz, even though he wasn’t looking.

“My teacher is an amazing cook, a chef actually! Everything he makes is so good and tasty.”

Kravitz hummed in acknowledgment but didn’t otherwise comment. Angus let the conversation fade and concentrated on his food instead, though he was brimming with curiosity. He stared at Kravitz, taking his chance now that the other was distracted. He really was a strange creature, almost human in all ways except appearance. Angus just had to find out more. Finished with his snack, he cleared his throat to get Kravitz’s attention. Once those glowing eyes were on him, Angus hesitated.

“Umm…”

“What’s on your mind, Angus?” Kravitz prompted, sitting straighter to give Angus his full attention. The boy fidgeted with his hands.

“Well, sir, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, I was just curious.”

“About?”

“Well, about what you are, I guess.” Angus said, and hurried to add, “Sir!”

Kravitz didn’t seem offended, though he considered Angus for a while before answering.

“A monster, I suppose. Though I wasn’t always like this.” He sighed. “A witch-”

“Kissed you?” Angus interrupted with a quick grin, and Kravitz just stared, in his birdlike way, unblinking. Angus flushed and hurried to explain himself.

“I’m terribly sorry sir! It’s just- it’s a joke my friends always make,” He looked away, embarrassed. “Every time something weird happens it’s because a witch kissed them and so on…” He trailed off. Fortunately, Kravitz wasn't too fazed by the interruption and he continued.

“Oh, well, I wasn’t kissed, only cursed. By a witch or... something else. I don’t really know anymore. The short version is, I used to be a bard. I was good at it and I was… rather prideful. I ignored a person who required my aid and in revenge I was… imprisoned here. In this forest, unable to leave, though I tried.” Kravitz leaned back in his chair, remembering. Angus listened attentively.

“There were monsters here, in the beginning. In time, I became one also. I wasn’t like this originally.”

“What were you before sir?” Angus asked, leaning forward in his seat, curiosity getting the better of him.

“I can’t remember. Human, I think? It’s been so long I can’t remember what I looked like.”

Kravitz quieted, caught up in his memories. The silence was comfortable, both parties occupied by their thoughts. Eventually, Angus yawned, exhausted by the day’s events. Kravitz showed him to the bedroom from before and bid him goodnight. Angus found that the room had an adjacent bathroom and was grateful. He carefully peeled the bedspread away to avoid getting dust everywhere and crawled beneath the sheets. He fell asleep as his head hit the pillow.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: I split chapter two in two parts because it was so long.

In the morning, Angus picked some berries from the garden for breakfast. He chatted with Kravitz in the kitchen and found out that he didn’t sleep. At this point, Angus wasn’t really surprised. Kravitz was all around a really strange being.

Angus gathered his now dry clothes and went back to his room to change. When he emerged, Kravitz suggested they return to the clearing where they met, to look for clues. Angus enthusiastically agreed. Even though he completely trusted his teacher, he had to admit he was curious to find out what went wrong.

It was a nice day. The walk felt much shorter this time, now that Angus wasn’t cold, disoriented and hungry.

When they arrived, Kravitz noted with alarm that the feeling of magic around the area was much worse than the day before. Yesterday the clearing had traces of magic floating over it, residue from the spell that got Angus here. It should have all dissipated overnight. But today, the magic seemed to be growing, increasing, as if gathering power. Angus didn’t seem to notice anything, and he stepped onto the clearing before Kravitz could stop him.

The air exploded. It ruffled Kravitz’s feathers as he shielded his eyes, and Angus fell onto his butt but there was no damage. Lowering his arm, Kravitz saw a figure, right at the spot where he had found Angus. It was an elven man. An elf wizard, judging by the hat, and the magic humming around him. His eyes glowed, fading as his magic settled. The elf’s hair floated as if underwater, sparks glittering from the ends. His cloak fluttered and stilled. Kravitz noted that he was covered in an absurd amount of jewelry. A moment of silence sat upon the group, until the elf noticed Angus, and grinned.

“There he is! Ango! Shit, you put me in a real situation with that stunt you pulled!”

Angus scrambled to his feet, grinning himself.

“Taako, sir! You found me!” He shouted and ran towards the elf, almost knocking him over with his enthusiastic hug. The elf, Taako, Angus' mentor, Kravitz realized, hugged the boy back. Kravitz noted the relief in his face, apparent now that Angus wasn’t looking. He sighed in relief, glad to have been wrong about Angus’ teacher.

Angus soon remembered that Kravitz was also present, and scurried out of the hug to introduce him. He dragged Taako by the hand and as they approached Kravitz understood with a start that this was no ordinary elf or wizard. He had a celestial aura around him. He had been blessed, touched by a higher being.

All too fast the elf stood in front of Kravitz, and he couldn’t hear a thing as Angus introduced him, he just stared. He felt like a hideous monster next to the elf. That’s what he was, but Taako somehow seemed to like what he was seeing. Kravitz was stunned, as Taako let out a small whistle, and stared at him, eyes moving from head to toe.

“Into this!”

Kravitz didn’t know how to react to that, so he ignored it. A question burned in his mind, how had this elf connected with a celestial being? But the question came out terribly wrong.

“Have you been touched?” Kravitz blurted out, and the elf stared at him in shock, a flush spreading across the bridge of his nose. Kravitz realized his mistake right as Taako burst out laughing.

“Well! That’s kind of personal but to be completely honest with you my fella, it has been way too damn long!”

Angus was mortified, “Sir!” He shrieked and covered his ears. Kravitz wasn’t any better off.

“That-! That is not what I-” He stuttered, flustered. The elf grinned, waving his hand dismissively.

“Relax, just teasin’ ya. Yeah, there was an incident of celestial variety, I got a sorta deal with a goddess. No big.” It certainly seemed ‘big’ to Kravitz, but he was too stunned to say anything about it, at loss for words. He looked, as Taako regarded him with a careful stare, different from before. The elf held a hand to his chin, and his ears twitched under his hat. Angus suddenly spoke up, excited.

“Oh, oh! Mister Kravitz has been cursed sir! For a long time too! Maybe you can help him out?”

“Yeah, I can see that, boychik. Just thinkin’ how to go ‘bout this.”

Kravitz felt like his heart was gonna stop. He had been stuck here, in this form, not eating or sleeping, not living, for longer than he could remember.

“You- you can help me?” He stuttered out, daring to hope.

“Yeah. Yeah! I think so.” Taako said with a genuine smile. “Can you bend over a bit handsome? You’re kinda tall glass o’ water.”

Kravitz hurried to obey and leaned forward, not knowing what to expect. Taako reached for him and held his face in his hands as he pressed a kiss to Kravitz’s feathery forehead.

Kravitz felt power flooding over him like water. He felt like he was melting, and for a moment he couldn’t breathe.

He opened his eyes. He didn’t remember closing them. He raised his arms, going to grasp Taako’s hands but was stuck staring at his own palms. He had skin instead of feathers, nails instead of claws.  
His hands shook, he was shaking all over as he lifted his gaze and met Taako’s eyes. The elf’s eyes widened.

“Holy shit,” he gasped. Angus was jumping next to him excitedly, looking at Kravitz.

“Wow! You look really handsome sir!” He said happily. Taako glared at him.

“Stole my line, you little-”

“Do- do you have a mirror?” Kravitz finally said and was startled to feel his mouth and jaw moving. It had been a while. Taako produced a small hand mirror from his pockets. Kravitz stared at himself. He couldn’t see much because the mirror was so small, but he had a face. Dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes. He touched at his cheek, hardly believing.

“Ready to blow this popsicle stand, homie?” Taako asked, and Kravitz almost dropped the mirror. He quickly handed it back.

“I- Yes. I would very much like to get out of here.”

“Anything you need to take with you?” Taako asked with a tilt of his head. Kravitz shook his head no. He just wanted out of here, now that it was apparently possible.

“Welp, let’s get going then. You wanna do the honors, Ango?”

“Yes!” Angus answered and dug his wand out of his pocket. It was still in pieces. “No wait, my wand broke…” Taako gave an exasperated sigh, and waved his own wand at Angus’, quickly mending it.

“There ya go. Now try to get the spell right this time, bubbeleh.”

“Yes, sir!” Angus said and grabbed Taako’s hand, who grabbed Kravitz’s hand without hesitation, only to let out a sound of surprise as they touched.

“Oh, boy howdy, that’s a clammy one!”

Kravitz blushed, Taako grinned at him. Angus cast the spell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed my silly little fairy tale. Not much of a romance after all, apologies. I'm on tumblr @ taztaas


End file.
